June Journeys 2012

JUNE JOURNEYS

Our next push pins on the map of journeys will be a series of European cities starting from Larnaca to  Brussels then on to Finland and at the city of Turku from where we'll head to Helsinki by train and then take a plane to Oulu, which is further north of Finland. From there again we'll take a train arriving to Kajaani. Kajaani is a place we would never have searched for before but since business is calling for us there, we somehow feel more excited to discover lands that might never cross our paths again.

On our way back we will start from Kajaani then on to Tallinn, Riga and Brussels before arriving back to Larnaca. Tallinn and Riga will be transit flights so our time in those cities will be minimum to none, hopefully public transportation and endurance will help us explore those cities a bit.

The problem so far with booking this trip seems to be the accommodation since both Brussels and Helsinki are too expensive for european cities and without offering a high number of options.

Les Obres Restaurant Paris

Visited in April, 2012

This highly recommended restaurant is one of the many in Paris which offer food with stunning views. We came across it while looking for a restaurant with a view and we had to search for a lot of options since due to the fact that it was April, not many restaurants of its kind were open.

Reservation, according to the official website has to be done at least three days beforehand so we went on and made one through the phone for lunch at 2pm.

The restaurant stands at the top of Musée du quai Branly and there is a lift at the entrance of the café Branly to get to the 5th floor. The restaurant is not really big but all of the tables are seated in a way that everyone gets an eyeful taste of the Eiffel Tower. The glass ceiling of Les Obres seems somehow trying to resemble the tower in its background.

The menu has plenty of options to choose from including the a la carte menus with the option of having entrée+main course or main course+dessert for  €26. We went for the former choice and ordered a glass of a fantastic Bandol rosé wine served chilled. The gastronomic food which was decorated in artistic perfection was a real eye opener and both the starter and main course managed to tantalise our tastebuds. Don't be fooled by the small portion of food served in your plate, that's for sure!

After finishing our lunch, we went outside on the terrace where we could enjoy right in front of us the Eiffel Tower to its best.

Les Obres is an expensive choice for having lunch but you can't buy that view anywhere else and our next visit to Paris will probably include a dinner there.

http://www.lesombres-restaurant.com/ 

Le Cardinal Cafe Paris

Visited in April, 2012

Le Cardinal cafe was a nice little surprise that put more colour, in a way, to our amazing trip in Paris.
It was the place we often had to start our days from with a sip of cafe au lait and sometimes even for a petit dejeuner. We once had lunch there too and loved it!

The cafe's deco combines both modern and classic but sticks to the Parisian finesse with all their staff dressed elegantly and rushing through tables to attend all customers.

Our first day in Paris started with a walk along the boulevard Montmartre, from our hotel Tryp Francois searching for a nice spot to kick off our rainy day. Le Cardinal is at a nice corner of the boulevard offering ample and warm space to sit. We had a glass of rose wine and a saulty crepe served with some salad. The crepe wasn't anything special, lacking any spices or sauce. The wine though was pretty good with a choice between two different rose wines served in a glass.

Our second return to Le Cardinal, after two days, was much better! Starting with cafe creme accompanied by some nice rolls with butter, jam and nutella, all of which were served really nicely eventhough the cafe's round tables are so small!

The final return to this cafe was a mouthwatering lunch that won't be easily forgotten! We ordered, of course, cafe creme and then for lunch we had salmon with mashed potato and butter sauce. After finishing that exquisite salmon we vowed to go back soon. Unfortunately, we didn't have that chance during the remaining days but it is definitely in our plans for our next visit in Paris.

http://www.lecardinalrichelieu.fr/ 

Tryp Paris Francois Hotel

Stayed in April, 2012

Paris, the city of lights, is a dream location for a lot of people and there is an art in choosing a hotel for this city. That is why we spent countless days searching for the ideal one. Among the important criteria were the location, easiness to transportation and price. Tryp François ideally combines all of those!

Location

Tryp François hotel is perfectly located in the Montmartre Boulevard, where there is an entrance to Grand Boulevards Metro Station right outside of it. The hotel's boulevard, like its metro station states, is literally grand in all aspects, filled with dozens of shops, cafes, bistros and creperies. Thursday to Sunday nights is when this grand boulevard is thriving with life the most, with almost all of its cafes turning to bars and people enjoying themselves until the morning hours.

Room

We booked a room for 10 nights and requested for a high floor with balcony and once there, we realized that our requests were met since we were given room 604, at the hotels highest floor, with a balcony room facing the boulevard. For a Parisian hotel, our room was surprisingly quite spacious with nice amenities. We were welcomed with a note, a complimentary big bottle of Evian water and a box of mini chocolates, which was a nice gesture.

The room’s deco wasn’t something spectacular but for a Parisian hotel it surely exceeds any expectations. It included a mini bar, a double bed with extra pillows and blanket, a cable TV (with not such a large selection of channels), a bathroom, a safe and an office desk. There is cable internet, although the hotel's site says otherwise, was offered to us with no charge. Apart from the internet, we were also offered half price breakfast, and since we are both MAS card members, there was a 2 for 1 offer where only one of us had to pay the reduced breakfast price. We could also enjoy the breakfast served in the comfort of our room in the same offer.

Hotel

The staff in general, at the reception desk and the breakfast, was really helpful and welcoming. The room was daily cleaned thoroughly too. The reception area is equipped with a computer and lots of tourist information and brochures. The only downfall in regards to our stay was the fact that we were always waking up feeling tired and achy and it could possibly be due to the bed’s mattress or pillows.

Tryp François might not be for the likes of everyone, especially if you get easily upset with the boulevard’s noise or not been given a room with a balcony for that matter. For younger travellers and MAS hotel members who are first-timers or are simply into exploring the city of Paris using the metro this hotel will prove superb!

TIP: Make sure you book ahead, checking for special offers in all hotel search engines, not forgetting the official TRYP hotels website where we also made our booking. If you are a member of this hotel chain then do remember to request for a high floor with balcony as well as asking about the breakfast and internet. Also, if your stay includes a Friday night then bare in mind that the hotel’s street is used for the ‘Pari Roller’, the Friday night skating tour that takes place weekly. 

View from room

Bedroom

Bedroom

Bathroom

Bathroom

Breakfast in room

Room tip: Take a room with a view of the boulevard if you don't mind the noise; you will inevitably appreciate it every morning when opening the windows!